Why Yena’s ‘Hate Rodrigo’ Music Video Was Removed From YouTube

K-pop star YENA’s “Hate Rodrigo” music video was briefly removed from YouTube on June 29.

Released as the lead single off YENA’s new album Hate XX and featuring (G)I-DLE member YUQI, the upbeat pop-punk song received backlash due to its references to singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo.

Listen to YENA’s “Hate Rodrigo” ft. YUQI Below:

According to reports, the “Hate Rodrigo” music video was removed from or set to private on YouTube this week due to copyright concerns regarding the images of Rodrigo featured in the video.

YENA’s original music video featured photos of the American pop star, as well as a vinyl record of Rodrigo’s debut album Sour.

Some, however, speculated that Rodrigo’s team had requested the controversial music video’s removal, or that it was removed for being inflammatory toward the “Vampire” singer.

You can view the original “Hate Rodrigo” music video featuring images of Olivia Rodrigo in the TikTok below:

According to Allkpop, YENA’s agency, Yuehua Entertainment, addressed the video’s controversy and sudden, temporary removal in a statement, saying:

The MV was made private on June 29 after the agency found scenes that may cause issues with trademark infringement, violation of portrait rights, and copyright. The music video is currently being edited again. We apologize for the sudden confusion as we recognized the problem later. We’ll upload the MV again as soon as editing is complete.

Upon its release, many assumed due to its title that the song was a diss track toward Rodrigo.

At one point on the track, YENA sings: “Hate you, call 9-1-1 / It’s not even a crush, seriously / Oh, my God, you’re my star / I’m not jealous, Rodrigo.”

However, according to YENA, the song is not a diss track but rather captures both feelings of jealousy and admiration for Rodrigo, of whom YENA is a fan.

According to Allkpop, at an event in Seoul YENA explained that “Hate Rodrigo” is “a song that cutely and honestly expresses the feelings towards a person who is the subject of envy and sometimes jealousy,” and said she “wanted to use ironic expressions to express my desires and affections for that person through sincere lyrics and performances.”

A new version of the “Hate Rodrigo” music video was uploaded to YouTube on June 30. Notably, the original scene where YENA interacts with Rodrigo’s Sour vinyl album in her bedroom has been cut from the clip.